| Box Style | As Mention Above |
|---|---|
| Dimension (L + W + H) | All Custom Sizes & Shapes |
| Minimum Run ( For Boxes and Mylar Bags) | 100 Boxes - 1000 Mylar Bags ( 500 each design) |
| Paper Stock | 10pt to 28pt (60lb to 400lb) Eco-Friendly Kraft, E-flute Corrugated, Bux Board, Cardstock |
| Printing | No Printing, CMYK, CMYK + 1 PMS color, CMYK + 2 PMS colors |
| Finishing | Gloss Lamination, Matte Lamination, Gloss AQ, Gloss UV, Matte UV, Spot UV, Embossing, Foiling |
| Included Options | Die Cutting, Gluing, Scored,Perforation |
| Additional Options | Eco-Friendly, Recycled Boxes, Biodegradable |
| Proof | Flat View, 3D Mock-up, Physical Sampling (On request) |
| Turnaround | 7 - 8 Business Days |
| Shipping | FLAT Position |
We use eco-friendly cardboard materials designed to minimize environmental impact and reduce waste.
Kraft paper is a sturdy, durable, and dependable material used across multiple industries.
Rigid material is highly protective, cost-effective, and recyclable, offering maximum durability and security.
Corrugated material is customizable, cost-effective, and sustainable, making it an excellent choice for branding and shipping.
Enhance your product packaging with our premium foil stamping for a sophisticated touch.
Our high-gloss UV coating enhances shine and provides a sleek, protective finish to your printed materials.
Our glossy finish adds a sleek, eye-catching shine to your packaging.
Holographic foil refracts light, creating a stunning rainbow effect from different angles.
Our embossing technique captures the finest details, adding depth and elegance to your packaging.
Our debossing technique imprints unique graphics into your packaging, creating a refined and tactile effect.
Our matte finish reduces the visibility of fingerprints and smudges, keeping your packaging looking clean and refined.
We apply a soft-touch lamination that adds an extra layer of protection, preventing toner chipping.
Pick your date first
Before anything else, name the day your product has to be boxed and ready. Not the day you want boxes the day the first packed unit needs to exist.
For most Mat-Su businesses, that date is one of four:
- Mid-May, when the visitor season begins
- Late August, for the Alaska State Fair in Palmer
- Early November, for holiday retail and online gifting
- A fixed launch date, if you are opening or introducing a product
Everything below counts backwards from that day. Get the date right and the rest is arithmetic.
The arithmetic
Four blocks of time sit between your decision and a box in your hand. People routinely account for one of them.
Artwork and proof: 3 to 10 days. A free 3D proof comes back quickly, but the clock runs on your side of it. Every revision is another cycle, and a design still being argued over internally is the most common source of delay. If artwork needs sign-off from a partner or a compliance step, add a week.
Production: 8 to 12 business days. This starts after proof approval, not after your order. Rush production at 4 to 6 business days is available, but it has to be requested at quote stage rather than negotiated later.
Ocean freight: variable, and this is the block people miss. Sailings to the Port of Alaska run on a fixed schedule rather than continuously. Being ready a day late does not cost a day — it costs the gap to the next sailing. Confirm the current schedule when you order rather than assuming.
Highway to the Valley: short, but weather-dependent. The run north from Anchorage is quick in July and not always quick in January.
Add them up honestly and the realistic total from decision to delivery is six to ten weeks in good conditions. Air freight compresses this dramatically at a cost that changes your unit economics, so treat it as insurance rather than a plan.
The calendar
| If you need boxes by… | Start artwork | Approve proof | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-May (visitor season) | Early February | Early March | Winter weather affects both sailing and highway |
| Late August (State Fair) | Early May | Late May | Competes with everyone else's summer restocking |
| Early November (holiday) | Early August | Late August | Freight capacity tightens into the holiday period |
| Late December | Mid-September | Early October | Do not leave this to November |
If today's date is already past the "start artwork" column for your season, you are not out of options — but read the last section before you do anything else.
Two decisions that have to be made before the clock starts
These are the two that stall Alaska orders, and both can be settled in an afternoon.
How much will you order? Not just this run — your annual usage. Freight to Alaska rewards fewer, larger orders and punishes frequent small ones, so this decision changes your quote, your storage requirement and your calendar all at once. Decide it before you request pricing rather than after.
Where will the boxes live? If they are going into an unheated shed, garage or shop back room over winter, say so at quote stage. Corrugated absorbs moisture and loses compression strength, and a stack that is stable in October can bow by March. Board can be specified for that condition, but only if we know before it is made.
Two free things that cost nothing but time: keep stacks on a pallet rather than directly on concrete, which wicks moisture upward, and stack lower than you would in a heated space.
One order or three?
If you are ordering a year's supply, the choice is between a single run and splitting it.
One run gives you the lowest unit price, the lowest freight cost per box, and a single point of risk. If the artwork is wrong, everything is wrong. If the product changes mid-year, you are holding boxes you cannot use.
Two or three runs cost more per box and per shipment, but let you correct after the first batch and adjust to how the season actually goes.
For a first order, split it. Take a smaller run, use the season to find out what you got wrong, then commit to volume on the reorder with confidence. For an established product on its fourth reorder, order once and be done.
What to have ready when you start
Five things get an accurate delivered quote back within 24 hours:
- Product dimensions, or a photo with rough measurements
- Your annual usage, not just the next order
- Your delivery address in North Lakes
- Where the stock will be stored
- Your date
Artwork is welcome but not required a sketch is enough, and print-ready files are built at no charge.
One request that matters more here than anywhere else: ask for a delivered price, not a per-box price. A quote that looks competitive before freight can look very different once it reaches the Mat-Su Valley, and the delivered figure is the only one you can compare between suppliers.
And request a physical sample before a large run. A wrong order is expensive anywhere. Shipped to Alaska, it is expensive twice.
If you are already behind
This happens, and it is usually recoverable.
Approve a simpler specification. Every additional finishing pass adds production time. A matte box with spot UV on the logo runs faster than the same box with foil and embossing, and looks close to as good.
Request rush production at quote stage. It has to be asked for up front — it cannot be applied to a job already scheduled.
Ask about air freight for part of the order. Air the quantity that covers your opening weeks, barge the balance. You pay the premium on a fraction of the run rather than all of it.
Bridge with labels. A stock box with a well-printed label seal will carry you through an opening season while your custom boxes are in transit. Labels print and ship far faster than cartons, and this is a legitimate stopgap rather than a downgrade.
Or move the date. If the packaging is not ready, launching with the wrong box is often worse than launching two weeks later.
Start the clock
Tell us your date first, then your product, quantity, storage and address. We will tell you honestly whether the date is achievable, what specification fits inside it, and what the delivered cost to North Lakes actually is.
